The most helpful favourable review

The most helpful critical review

5.0 out of 5 starsLessons in Persuasion That Apply to Almost Everyone Everywhere
"These also who erred in spirit will come to understanding," -- Isaiah 29:24 (NKJV)

The big takeaway from this book for many people will be that their success depends, at least in part, on their ability to sell their ideas and beliefs so that others will act on them. Daniel H. Pink aptly points out that tens of millions of Americans have such challenges, most...

3.0 out of 5 starsAs Interesting As Dan's Past Books, But With a Weaker Take Away
It was an OK book but it felt like it took a while for it to get started as well as some other problems I had with it.

The book starts to feel a bit repetitive as Dan begins to cite study after study. More depth on the stories would have been made the book stronger. Like all of Dan's books, which is Dan's greatest strength, he identifies a trend and makes it...

This review is from: To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others (Hardcover)

It was an OK book but it felt like it took a while for it to get started as well as some other problems I had with it.

The book starts to feel a bit repetitive as Dan begins to cite study after study. More depth on the stories would have been made the book stronger. Like all of Dan's books, which is Dan's greatest strength, he identifies a trend and makes it accessible to everyone. Dan's done the same with Free Agent Nation, Whole New Mind, Drive, and even Johnny Bunko. It lead me to many new ideas that I'm excited to look into further.

EDIT: I've been thinking about this for a bit, because I really want to like this book more, and I think I've come up with a reason why I settled with a 3/5 rating. Compared to A Whole New Mind and Drive, the model Daniel gives as a take away in this book isn't as impactful.

From A Whole New Mind I was introduced to this idea of right brain vs left brain and that gave me a framework to work with. I could suddenly identify logic, emotion, imagination, analytics as traits of the right or left brain.

I find To Sell Is Human's model weaker and not as clear. Attunement + Buoyancy + Clarity = Moving Others. I don't find the elements of this equation as concrete as the one in Drive. The equation also leaves out the themes of the final chapters of the book: Pitch, Improvise, and Serve. Without a framework to fall into, Pitch, Improvise, and Serve easily slip away.

While Drive had me identifying opportunities for mastery and autonomy, as I read To Sell Is Human I found myself looking for ways to improve my attunement, buoyancy and clarity. Being able to identify the ABCs as keys to moving people, not to mention Pitch, Improvise and Serve is not useful if I can't do them!

This review is from: To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others (Hardcover)

"These also who erred in spirit will come to understanding," -- Isaiah 29:24 (NKJV)

The big takeaway from this book for many people will be that their success depends, at least in part, on their ability to sell their ideas and beliefs so that others will act on them. Daniel H. Pink aptly points out that tens of millions of Americans have such challenges, most of whom are unprepared for how to meet them.

Once a reader joins the boat of realizing the need to persuade others, naturally some advice is needed. Mr. Pink deftly combines the lessons from the better books in the field of persuasion to present some simple, but critical, principles to apply:

Attunement: See the situation from the other person's perspective and add to it the emotional connection of empathy, while mirroring what other people do physically when with them.

Buoyancy: Be ready to bounce-back from whatever setbacks and discouragements occur by managing your mental and psychological state.

Clarity: Find the right problem, frame it so others can relate to it, and give people directions for what to do.

To apply these principles, be prepared to pitch your idea in six new ways. apply the principles of improvisation to work effectively with others to accomplish more, and engage in adding more service to improve matters for others.

The book is filled with compelling stories, nice examples, and crisp writing.

This review is from: To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others (Hardcover)

I did a review of this book on my blog, choosing 7 "gems" from the many contained within Pink's book. (Having come from a subjectively judged sport, I rarely give a "perfect" score...that's just me, hence the 4 out of 5 stars:) I particularly liked the distinction between upselling and upserving, as well as agitation versus irritation, the 5 Why's and of course, the Pixar Pitch. Does that whet your appetite to read? It's a great read!

"Is the world a better place than when you began?" - Daniel H. Pink - "To Sell is Human"

Do you need to persuade people in life? Do you need to sell others on your ideas or even yourself? If you're human you do. In "To Sell is Human" Daniel Pink takes the notion of sales as sleaze and reframes it as a vital skill in our information rich world. He then provides a primer on how to learn and practice sales in a win-win style, where both you and those you sell to benefit.

While the book is not long, it does an excellent job of breaking sales down into its component parts. Daniel describes each part in detail, mixing anecdote with the latest scientific research. He then provides a holistic case study, and ends with resources for further reading and research. The structure he provides is concise and clear, but packed with insight.

Some other reviewers have complained that the book can summed up in a page, and lacks value as a result. Nothing could be further from the truth. What those complaints miss is just how much skill it takes in a writer to make something so complex as sales seem easily understandable. Daniel curates a vast web of information, and crystallizes it into something any reader can use.

The map Daniel provides will require a journey of hard work for those readers interested in improving their interactions with other people. But the book is an excellent map, and it is a journey I highly recommend.

I can`t give a first hand account of this read, as I purchased it for my son-in-law. However, I can report that he felt the time spent reading the book was worthwhile and that he gained one very good suggestion, one that he was going to integrate into his presentations, confident it will make a difference. His comment to me was that ìt`s such an obvious`one, he couldn`t believe that he didn`t think of it himself!! For my part, at least one good idea that makes a difference, was all I had hoped for.

This review is from: To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others (Hardcover)

I bought this out of curiosity because I heard an interview with the Author, I was not disappointed! I typically avoid sales so this was a read out of my area of direct interest... but in my business I am finding I have to make more and more sales pitches and so I read this with a hint of desperation... to put it short... it gave me a whiteboard full of ideas.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am sharing it with suppliers, clients and most importantly internally. Our view of sales is outdated, and Pink provides a practical guide to bring us up-to-date and in tune with those we are trying to move. Next up - Drive by Daniel Pink.

Having ventures into being an entrepreneur, someone who has to promote himself in every conversation, it is comforting to realize, to understand that indeed we are all on sales. The fact that actions that benefit others, that conversations that focus on how actions benefit others are in fact more effective is indeed a kudos to the human race. The book is well researched, well written and a good manual to all of us in sales.